A meme! includes: DVD commentaries

[aragarna]

Hmmm okay, I have never done one like this before. But since elrhiarhodan, angelita26 and embroiderama and pooh_collector are doing it, I decided to give it a try, while adding a few things on my own.


DVD Commentary

Go to my Masterlist and pick a passage from my stories, up to 500 words, - or just name a story as a whole, I'm not picky - and comment to this post with that selection. Alternatively, you can randomly pick a number from 1 to 32 (so tiny compared to others, but so big to me!), I'll consider #1 the first one I wrote and #32 the most recent one. ALSO, feel free to ask me about my videos instead. Or even any fanart.

I will then give you a DVD commentary on that snippet: what I was thinking when I wrote it, why I wrote it in the first place, what's going on in the character's heads, why I chose certain words, what this moment means in the context of the rest of the story, awful puns [perhaps], and anything else that you'd expect to find on a DVD commentary track. You can ask me anything - character motivation, writing process, or if you disagree with the direction I took in a story, ask me to defend it.

Comments

[angelita26]

I really loved the structure of By Your Side Through the Night. Would you talk about what inspired you to write it in that form and anything else about the story? It's really great! I didn't want to copy and paste and lose the formatting of the italics in here.

[aragarna.livejournal.com]

Oh cool choice.
Hmmm I think it started with this image in my brain of Peter late at night in his office, whispering "hold on Neal" while he's working on finding him. Then popped the idea of the "tell me you didn't run", because he needed the reassurance that Neal didn't betray him. Then it developed into the idea that both Neal and Peter were thinking of each others, with Neal holding onto the hope that Peter would find him, and both having this imaginary conversation with the other, telling things they didn't say, should have said... And I liked the idea that it could actually work as "one" conversation, since basically they would think of the same things.

There was a point where I thought about having them actually talk to each other, over the phone, like Neal finds a phone and calls Peter. But I thought it was more beautiful keeping it in their heads. Also, more likely that they'd admit certain things if the other isn't actually there. (Talking feelings is hard for them!). And mostly I like the idea that they keep thinking of each other, like sending each other vibes, and reassuring each other it's gonna be okay.

[pipilj.livejournal.com]

I adore your story Who will Fix my broken heart what inspire you to write the story

[aragarna.livejournal.com]

Oh Peter!

This one comes from the need to cuddle Peter and the fact that nobody seemed to understand him. And it's not just the majoriry of the fan reactions, it's also that even Elizabeth doesn't seem to understand.
To me, it was obvious since the very first episode that Peter would not like the truth. And it's not a matter of Neal breaking the law, it's a matter of the consequences of Neal's actions on Peter himself. What it makes of him. He's been freed on forged evidence, he becomes accomplice of corruption inside the system. This is so against all his principles. And there's no right solution there. Either he accepts it and by that, becomes corrupted. Or he arrests Neal and reveals everything and that makes him an horrible friend and husband.
That's one of the things I like the most in Peter is that he tries very hard to do what's right, and be a good guy. And I might be the only one on the planet, but I do think he had every right to react the way he did. That was expected. And I liked that the show went there. They created this impossible situation, and they didn't coy into going the easy way. It would have been a lot easier on us if Peter had accepted it without questions. But that would have been so totally out of character. Because, as much as it hurt to hear him say it, none of this was right (from his point of view I mean. I'm not condemning Neal for what he did. But they just have these opposite views of the world, sometimes it crashes)

So, anyway, I just like to explore Peter's feelings, and this situation, no matter how heartbreaking for the bromance, was totally awesome. This is the core of the show. They're not compatible but they still want to be friend, and sometimes it hurts.
I also felt Peter deserved his share of hugs, so I wanted to give him some. ;-)

Oh and yes, the idea from the title is that everyone is expecting Peter to fix everything (like El says). Peter protects everyone all the time. But this time, he's the one who would need some comfort, and nobody seems to be willing to give him. Or precisely (sorry for the double edit) he is expected to sacrifice himself to fix the situation, and he is going to do it. Because that's the only possible thing to do, but that's a sacrifice for him, and a sacrifice that neither Neal nor El seem to see.

Okay that was a lot of ramble.
I did receive notification for the previous comment that you deleted. ;-) If nobody asks about it, I'll answer it.

[aragarna.livejournal.com]

And since nobody asked about Let's Shake Some Snow and Jonesy, here it is for you :-) :
I was watching Carnivale when it occured to me that Jonesy had a few similar traits with Peter. The most obvious would be their awkwardness around women (and yet managing to find the right one). They're both deeply honest and decent guys. They're loyal to their "family" and very protective. Also, they're both former baseball pro. And well, they do look alike ;-). So I thought that maybe they could be related. And that maybe Peter could have inherited his moral code from Jonesy. The age difference is too big to make them father and son, so I decided that Jonesy could be Peter's grandfather. And from his mother side, to explain that they don't have the same names. ;-)
Then, I tried to think about a reason for Neal to discover about Jonesy. And I guess with Christmas approaching, it all fell into place the way it did.
And at some point, I also realized that the relationship between Peter and Neal was actually pretty similar to Samson and Jonesy's. Samson being Jonesy's Peter, and Jonesy being Neal).

[pipilj.livejournal.com]

Thanks for answering, I wanted to cuddle Peter too. El and Neal put Peter between the rock and hard place.
I haven't watched carnivale, but enjoyed reading a few crossovers I have read.

[sapphire2309]

Hmmm, could I get something about It's Hard To Explain - Something You Don't Want To Hear? (requesting them both because they're short and they go together C:)

[aragarna.livejournal.com]

It all started with It's Hard to Explain, which came to me very naturally and terribly fast. Like the day after 5x01 aired, and I wrote it in about 1 hour.
I think I just felt the need to tell Peter's side of the story in that finale scene, because there was a lot of misunderstanding. Peter was hurt, and he didn't know what to do about it. It was a rational decision to take (that didn't last long actually), and it obviously cost him a lot. So, I wanted to explore a little more his state of mind. I could actually talk for hours about that scene and Peter's behaviour, but that goes beyond the fic itself. ;-)

I think that Kavinsky song happened to play on my iTunes at some point, and I pictured Peter in his car, driving. I love the atmosphere of that song, and it was fitting.

Then, like a week or 2 later, I thought I owed Neal to write his side of the story. This one was actually a lot more difficult. I'm not sure why. I think, maybe, because Neal's reasons to be angry were a lot easier, but at the same time, like (not sure how to say it in English), kinda skin reaction. He didn't try to understand that change of wind in Peter's attitude. At least not in that scene. So, I tried to give him a little more depth and thinking. And also, I didn't want to be judgmental on his behavior, I tried very carefully to be fair, and keep things in his own logic. For Neal, he did the right thing. There was no other way.

This double piece was actually a great exercise, because there's a lot going on in that scene in the episode, and that's where I know I "get" Peter a lot more than I "get" Neal. (to simplify, I'd say I don't understand how he cannot see what is wrong in being a criminal). I do get Neal, but more on an intellectual level. Like "okay, in Neal's world this is what needs to be done."
And I think I did a pretty good job (yeah, I'm throwing myself flowers) at not writing my opinion, but sticking to the characters'.

:-)

[sapphire2309]

Interesting, thank you so much!! :D